Box for citrus fruits.



H. C. SCHRADER.

BOX FOR cnnus FRUITS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-16,195.

1,198,872. PatentedSept.19,'1916.

HENRY o. SCI-IRADER, or JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.

BOX FOR orraus rnUI'r-s.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed October 16, 1915. Serial No. 56,222, c

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY C. SCHRADER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Jacksonville, in the county of Duval, State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes for Citrus Fruits, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates broadly to packaging and particularly to a package especially adapted for citrus fruits.

The principal object of the present invention is to construct a package containing a relatively small number of citrus fruits wherein the package is arranged to be economical of space for storage and shipping and being provided with a protected handle to facilitate marketing of individual packages.

to construct a light-Weight, at the same time,"

very strong package wherein the sides of the package are made of individual boards adapted to receive stamping or printed matter, which boards are stapled to end cross pieces to make an assembled side.

Other and further objects of the present invention will in part be obvious and will in part be pointed out hereinafter in the specification following by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters are used to represent like parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the assembled package. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail showing the relation of the fiber handle to the end of the package. Fig. 3 is a detail showing boards of the sides broken away to expose corner construction. Fig. t is a section through the fiber handle. Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the manner of assembling the end frame relative to the end boards.

Various kinds of containers provided with air spaces have been devised for packages to contain citrus fruits. A common and wellknown type of container for these fruits is a package formed of light-weight material having spaces at the corners of the box. Unless the sides of the box are more or less flexible there is a tendency of the fruit adjacent the sides to be depressed more than is desirable. Flexibility at the sides, however, is diflicult to be obtained without sacrificing strength and it has been found that where thin flexible boards were used that there was liability of the boards to split away from the nail heads and the package would be broken open. Another difliculty with packages of this character is'the difficulty in handling by the ultimate consumer, in that the boxes are unwieldy and cannot be handled easily without picking the box up in the arms.

The present invention provides a box constructed for rapid, and therefore, cheap assembly and comprises an end frame formed of four pieces, each of which is identical with all of the others. These end frames are grooved on one end and tongued on the other. The end frame is backed by a simple pine board which is nailed into the end frame, thereby making a type of diaphragm supported on the frame members in such manner as to form a very light, at the same time, strong construction.

In devices of this character it isdesirable that considerable printing or heavy stamping be carried by various members of the box, and this feature is accomplished in the present invention by providing separate panels or boards to a side. These panels or side boards are of thin flexible material and are secured together at the ends by a cross piece of similar material, which is stapled to the side piece by means of small metal staples. By this arrangement it will be noted that the wood in the side pieces is arranged with its grain lengthwise and that the wood in the end pieces is arranged with the grain of the wood also lengthwise so that where the end pieces are stapled across the side pieces the wood grains run at right angles which substantially obviates any splitting when nails are driven through the end pieces into the end frame. To facilitate handling of this package a protected handle is provided within the space between the end frame members so that while leav-. ing sufficient room beneath the handle to allow space for the hand to grip the handle, it does not extend outwardly beyond the end frame. This prevents the handle from being broken when a plurality of these packages are stacked for storage or shipment. This handle being located directly on the end permits the package being lifted easily and balanced at the side of the person carry-.

7 and 8 are securely fastened together by,

means of reinforcing end boards 9 which are stapled to the narrow flexible boards 7 and 8 by means of a plurality of small wire staples 10. The broad side boards are also reinforced at their ends by means of similar reinforcing end boards 9 that are likewise stapled upon the side boards 6 by means of staples 10. Since the grain of the wood extends lengthwise on all the various boards liability of splitting by means of the assembly nails 11 is substantially obviated. The narrow flexible boards 7 and 8 are preferably formed of soft wood which is especially adapted to receive printing 12. These boards made in small sizes are easily and conveniently handled and are especially desirable for handling printing matter for the reason that one board may be printed up to carry the name of the firm packaging the fruit, whereas the other board may carry a particular trade mark or brand and where a V firm using a number of brands itfacilitates forming a package to conveniently arrange boards carrying a plurality of these printed brands with other boards carrying the firm name. The handle 14 is secured at one end of the package and lies wlfolly with in the space between the end frame members. This handle may be conveniently secured in place by means of the nails 15 which may assist in holding the end boar "d5 in place. While the handle 14 may be formed of various 'materials preferably a strong paper fiber stockis used and is beveled at the under edges as at 16 to form an effective hand hold. Preferably the material forming the handle 14 is sufficientlly rigid to maintain a bowed-position away from the end boards so that it may be at all times convenient for use.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. As an article of manufacture, a container for citrus fruits, comprising in combination a wooden box having a length greater than its width, the sides of said box comprising flexible wooden strips, rigid end members forming the sole means of support for said flexible strips andbeing attached to said strips at the ends thereof, the'end members of said box comprising frame pieces all of identically the same construction and having ends constructed to interlock to provide a rectangular frame, thin diaphragms secured to the inner side of the frame members, and a handle secured to the frame members and lying wholly in the space between said frame members, the

edges of the flexible strips forming the side.

members of the box being free throughout their entire length to permit said flexible strips to yield particularly when said box is carried by said handle.

2. As an article of manufacture, a container for citrus fruits and the like, comprising a wooden box including in combination flexible side members composed of thin wooden strips with the grain of the wood running substantially lengthwise of said strips, reinforcing strips stapled transversely of the side members and at the ends thereof, a rigid end frame forming the sole means of support for said side members whereby said side members are free to yield throughout their entire length.

HENRY c. SCHRADER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

